Now, I'm partial to Grannies. I was close to my Granny(Granny Ida). And, when I read about these little old ladies coming out to see Hillary, I think of her. Granny Ida was a tiny, white-haired, midwestern, big hearted woman. Lot's of energy. Always cooking or baking for the family, though she never would share her recipes. She gave me these prayer books every month, some of which I still have. She probably wasn't politically active, but she was smart. A good investor. There was a wildness of spirit to her. She was a notorious lead foot, and kept cruising well into her 80's. I tend to think she might have liked Hillary's spunk. But I digress.
So what about these Grannies in Iowa? Patrick Healy, of the New York Times, sets the stage:
| "They usually sit in the front row — to hear her better, to see her better and to make sure they have a chance to shake her hand. Some lean on canes. Some have traveled a great distance. Some have never been to a political event before." |
Apparently, Hillary's campaign has been careful to recruit older women voters in Iowa, and currently boast 479 of these voters, ages 90 to 110. The campaign believes these women, often the oldest among a family, could help recruit more voters. According to Ann Lewis:
| "These women are the heart of their family network. The 90-year-old mother or grandmother whose opinions really resonate all the way through the family." Ms. Lewis added that they had come out for Mrs. Clinton in other states with early nominating contests." |
Despite that Hillary has targeted these voters with specific plans, in interviews with nearly 20 voters in their 70's to 80's, it was the qualities these women saw in Hillary, her "intelligence, confidence and capability", that are at the heart of their support. These women feel those attributes will help Hillary deal with the challenges that await the next President.:
| "I think a woman, as head of the military, would be more apt to keep our boys at home than a man," said Dorothy Weddell, 85, who attended a Clinton event Saturday in Sac City, Iowa. "I’m a Republican, but I vote for the person. And she seems more willing to work things out and compromise." |
The historical sigfinicance of her candidacy also drives support among these voters. 87 year old Ruth Smith, who traveled 160 miles to see Hillary speak, touched on this, saying:
| "I told her that my grandmother was the first person in town to vote, and my mother was the second," said Mrs. Smith, who was born three months before the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. "And I told her I was born before women could vote, and I want to live long enough to see a woman in the White House." |
Some of these women have never caucused or have not in several years, even decades, but Hillary inspires them:
| "I’ve never caucused before, but I never felt motivated — and then here comes Hillary," said Gwen Whitehill, 78, of Shenandoah, Iowa. "Women have brains, just like men, and sometimes they have attributes that kind of outshine a man." |
The Clinton campaign asserts they are taking nothing for granted. New caucus goers often don't show. And, there are other older women voters who are not comfortable voting for a woman. But, for now atleast, Hillary seems to have an edge with the Granny vote:
| "A lot of them believe a woman’s place is by the cookstove, Mrs. Smith said. "But I think Hillary’s a very capable girl." |
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